The Archeology Notebook
by silenthorror
Summary: A vacation turns deadly as Lara stumbles upon and ancient Inca ritual bringing the dead back to life for their god Viracocha. It is said that this god will raise hell on Earth with enough souls sacrificed. Pursued relentlessly through the jungles and rivers, she must fight her way through an army of undead and religious warriors.
1. It Begins

Heavy grey clouds hung in the sky above the canopy of trees, a light rain fell against the skin of an unconscious Lara. Beside her, a tourist helicopter lay in ruins, shooting flames and ash into the thick forest. A slight cough snuck out between her lips, then a heavier cough. Soon she was sitting up, drenched in sweat and mud. Lara dabbed her fingers against her forehead, feeling the blood touch her skin. The world around her spun quickly as she forced her weak legs to hold her body up. She leaned against a tree, taking in the surroundings. This wasn't where they were supposed to land, this definitely wasn't the ranger station. All she could remember was the pilot warning her they drifted too far into the dead zone, then it was all black. Lara took deep breaths and finally the world stopped spinning long enough for her to stumble over to the helicopter. The cockpit was barely intact and the pilot was for sure dead. This all seemed so familiar to her, the plane back at Yamatai, searching the dead pilot for anything useful. She just wanted a vacation and this is what she got...stranded in the middle of the Amazon with only what she brought with her...A light went off in her head. Her bag full of goodies was strapped into the cargo area which was in the back of the helicopter. She looked around for the tail end, no sign of it in sight. Lara sighed and let out a quiet "Shit."

The sun had just started to set, the canopy blocking out the light making visibility very limited. She followed the trail of little patches of fire and debris. But there was still no sign of the cargo hold. She wiped sweat from her forehead and smoothed back her hair, the heat was almost too much but she had to push forward and find her things. A faint shine in the firelight came into view as she pushed through a wall of vines and thick branches. There it was, the piece she was missing. She almost collapsed to the ground in joy, but she forced herself to stay on her feet, she knew she didn't have the energy to get back up. She entered the large chunk of debris, ignoring the flames surrounding it, and started tossing out crates. She didn't know what was in them, but she had a glimmer of hope in the back of her head. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her trusty ice axe and pried open a wooden box. Her eyes widened as she dug through the contents. Food and bottles of water, just what she needed. The other two smaller boxes held bundles of rope and some medical supplies. She fell to the ground, exhausted from her walk and opened a bag of pretzels. She devoured the small bag and reached for another but stopped herself. The supplies were finite and she had to ration herself.

Lara had fallen asleep against a tree, the rain at a steady downpour now, sunlight slowly fading away. She awoke to a twig snapping in the distance. Her body jolted upward, her hand quickly grasping the axe tight. She could see a man, holding a bow, his arrow pulled taut. A white powder covered his face and dots of red lined his cheeks. He stepped forward, the fire slowly exposing him. She didn't move, he had a bow and all she had was her axe. Her mind raced, her body told her to attack but her brain told her to stand down. She watched his fingers quiver against the pull of the arrow. Lara knew he was about to let it fly, she could sense it, she could see his hand getting tired. The arrow flew through the air, slicing across her cheek. She fell to the ground, diving into a puddle of mud, her nose hovering above it just enough to breathe. She hairs on the back of her neck stood as he inched his way closer to her, investigating her body. She leaped out of the mud, driving the axe into his kneecap. He screamed and slammed his elbow against her cheek, a purple bruise instantly forming underneath the caked on dirt. She fell back to the ground, her body weak. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and stabbed it into her shoulder. She held her teeth together, only letting a small whimper out. Lara pushed him off and pulled the arrow out. Her vision blurred from the pain. The man lurched forward, she shoved the arrow through his throat and fell back against a tree. Her body slowly giving up. He rolled around in the dirt, gurgling on blood. She quickly grabbed her things and a few packets of food and took off for the front end of the plane. Adrenaline kept her up and going as fast as possible. In the distance she could hear cries, like a mother mourning the death of a child, then chants, and the bright light of torches getting closer.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck." Lara said, gulping hard, holding the wound in her shoulder.


	2. The Hunt

"If you look out your window, you'll see, well...more trees." The pilot laughed. "Oh, and there's a waterfall over there." He added.

"It's gorgeous." Lara said into her radio. She looked out over the endless waves of green. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before. "I can't believe I waited this long to come here!"

"You're lucky you have such an amazing tour guide." A light flashed bright red and the controls began to shake between his fingers. "Shit. We've drifted too far into the dead zone."

"The wha-"

Lara hid inside the destroyed cockpit, hushing her breathing, staying as silent as possible. The strange people were looking for her, she killed one of their own, the hunt was on. She'd occasionally catch a glimpse of flickering firelight from a torch, but she wasn't about to examine the situation. She knew what would happen if she left the confines of her makeshift safehouse. With a few rigorous wound cleaning sessions, she managed to bandage the arrow wound on her shoulder. She had to hold back screams of agony as she poured the rubbing alcohol across the gash. She awoke suddenly to the sounds of people searching through the back of the helicopter. Her heart pounded with the beat of a thousand drums. Lara scooped the axe handle into her hand and gripped it tight, ready to kill whatever was lurking around.

"Hello?" A voice called out. "We're with search and rescue. Is anyone there?"

She took a sigh of relief and loosened her grip on the weapon. "In here. I'm in here." She moved away a mesh covering and crawled out of the helicopter.

"After a crash like that." He said, grabbing her hand and helping her up. "I'm surprised you're still alive.

"I've been through worse." She smiled. "I'm so glad you two showed up. There was this man...he tried to kill me."

"Where is he now?"

"He's...dead. I got him before he got me. We need to leave, I think their whole tribe is after me now."

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of-" An arrow punctures the side of his head. Lara leaps back, startled. The other man clicks on his radio but it's too late for him as well. Another arrow slices through the air and into his neck.

"Shit." Lara says under her breath. She falls to the ground and retreats back into the helicopter. A swift hand reaches out and grabs her boot then pulls her back out. He tosses her into the dirt, hitting her kneecap with a stone tied to a tree branch. She cries out in pain as he crawls on top of her and wraps his hands around her throat. Lara looks into his eyes, no remorse, he's ready to kill. His hands squeeze tighter, her throat on the verge of collapsing. She balls her fist and hits him in the head with all the strength she can muster. He tumbles backwards, falling into the wreckage. She holds her throat, coughing violently as she pushes herself to her feet. The man charges at her, knocking her into a tree. She falls to her knees, the breath taken from her lungs. Lara reaches out, her hand cutting through the air and meeting his throat. He coughs, trying to regain his breathing, but he can't. She grabs him from behind and quickly twists his head, snapping his neck. Torch light illuminates the dark in the distance. She grabs the dead man's weapon and climbs the tree in front of her. Lara hunkers down on a limb, watching the two men examine the body. They panic and start to argue. She can't really tell what they're saying, but she has a feeling it's serious. She jumps from the tree, knocking one of the men to the ground then bashing the stone weapon against the other's face. She takes his slingbow and loads an arrow into it, pointing it right at the man she tackled. He raises his hands, pleading for his life but she isn't in the bargaining mood. She let's the arrow fly, killing him instantly. She gathers her things from the helicopter and loads her hiking bag with the arrows from the dead man's quiver. She attaches the slingbow and her ice axe to a carabiner hooked to her belt and heads off. She can't stay here, she has to find help.

Lara reaches into her bag and pulls out a bottle of water, she gulps half of it down and shoves it back inside. The humidity is almost too much for her to handle but she must push on. She just wanted a vacation from her hectic life, but instead she got a bloodbath, just her luck.

"Why do you have to go?" Jonah asks as he fills up a cup of tea.

"Why do you have to question me?" She laughs.

"We just got finished with the renovations to the Manor and Reyes is moving in...I just thought you'd wanna stick around for a bit and hang out."

"Jonah...I need this. I need this vacation. It's been...hard recently. Sam, she-"

"Jesus, Lara. When are you gonna get over Sam? She's moved on, you should too."

"I just...It's my fault, Jonah. I put the expedition together, I made us go to that island. Don't forget that she almost got killed there, almost sacrificed to a queen." She sighs and takes a sip of her morning coffee. "I can't forgive myself."

"It isn't your fault, little bird. We all chose to go to Yamatai."

"Yes. But I led you there."

Lara leans against a tree, sliding down until she hits the ground. Tears build in her eyes, she tries blinking them away but more keep coming. Maybe Jonah was right, maybe she should've stayed at home and pretended like everything was okay. That wouldn't have been good for anyone though. She needed to get away for awhile. A thick branch smacks across her head, knocking her out.


	3. The Natives

She awoke next to a blazing fire, her hands bound by a braided rope. Her head thumped like the beating of a heart and the taste of blood lingered in her mouth. She swished around saliva and spit into the dirt beside her. The stench of toxic death stuck to her nose, a foul smell that made her gag. Lara pressed her head against the tree behind her and looked around at the people passing by. They all had the same white chalk dusted across their faces, holding blunt weapons and lowering their voices as the passed by her. A hand reached out, grabbing her ponytail and pulling her to her feet. She hissed between her teeth, the pain almost unbearable. He tosses her in a small hut and locks the door tight. A few other people help her out of the dirt and onto her feet. Four other people stand around her, bloody and bruised. She recognizes them from TV. They were considered missing only a few days ago.

"You're the documentary group that went missing…" Lara whispers, not wanting the natives to hear her.

"I'm Sasha." I woman says, coming out from behind the others. She's tall, almost as tall as one of the guys. Beautiful dark skin, hair tightly pulled back, clothes ripped and torn, dried blood caked all across her face. She's been doing some killing. "This is Bjorn, Mark, and Daniel."

"I'd shake your hands but I'm currently tied." Lara laughs, showing them the rope strangling her hands.

"Oh shit, sorry. Hold out your hands." Sasha pulls out a small diving knife from her boot and slices the knots, freeing Lara's hands.

"You have a knife? What's keeping you from getting out of here?" Lara rubs her rope burned wrists, soothing the pain just a bit.

"Looking for the right opportunity."

"Well, your opportunity is here. If I can get to my stuff, we'd be set."

She looks puzzled. "You're going to take all of them on?" Sasha asks.

"Not by myself." She grins. "We're going to get out of here."

Lara ties the severed ropes together and waits patiently near the exit, holding both ends tight in her hands. Finally, her chance comes. The door made of bundled twigs opens slowly and in walks the same man that flung her into the hut. Sasha launches at him, pushing him towards Lara. She wraps the rope around her hands and pulls it against his neck. They both fall to the ground, Lara underneath him now. She snakes her legs around him and pulls the rope tighter. They struggle for a few more seconds until he finally succumbs to the rope. Lara quickly jumps to her feet and peers out the door, her bag and weapons so close she can taste it. Sasha nods, ready to venture out into death. Lara takes in a deep breath and sprints out of the hut, heading straight for her bag. Panic rumbles through the tiny outpost, people scramble to their weapons as the survivors make a break for it. An arrow flies through the air, barely missing Sasha and digging deep into the back of Lara's arm. She yells through the pain and yanks out the arrow, holding it tight in her hand. She dives for her bag and grabs the slingbow, loading the bloody arrow into it and launching it at one of the natives, killing him almost instantly. She's tackled to the ground, her head violently smashed into the ground multiple times until Sasha jumps on his back, stabbing her diving knife into the side of his neck. Lara rubs her head, pushing her body up onto wobbly legs, her vision slowly coming back. A thrown spear impales Bjorn through the chest, sending Sasha into a rage. She smashes in a skull with one of the blunt weapons, slices open the throat on someone else, and pokes out the last man's eyes with her thumbs then wipes the remains on her pants.

"We need to get out of here!" Lara yells. "More will come soon."

"Shit. I just went full rambo." Sasha takes in a deep breath. "Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know. I don't even know where here is. We just need to go, keep out of sight. They obviously want us for something. We can't let them have us."

They take off deep into the jungle, hoping to find salvation. They pass by the crashed helicopter which has been completely ransacked, the bodies gone, even the pilot has disappeared. The sun begins to finally shine through the canopy, lighting their way but making them easier to spot. It makes Lara nervous, like she always has to watch her back.

"You seem like you've done this before." Sasha says, breaking the everlasting silence.

"What? Killing? I have."

"Do tell."

"I got shipwrecked on an island with my crew just a few years ago. The inhabitants were some sort of cult. They dwindled us down, but I managed to kill the man in charge."

"Damn. That sounds intense."

"They were looking for a soul, for the sun queen Himiko."

"What?" Sasha laughs. "Sun queen? Really?"

"Laugh all you want. It almost took the life of one of my best friends. But I stopped it and it let us leave the island. Then I was hunted by a military group that looked for artefacts to ruin the world I guess. Long story short. I had to stop an ancient army from killing me."

"Shit. What brought you here?"

Lara chuckled. "I wanted to backpack through the Amazon."

A rustling in the bushes stopped them dead in their tracks. Lara looked at Sasha and the others and nodded slowly. They took off running, arrows flying from every direction, slicing across Lara's skin. She leaped over fallen trees, pushed through thick vines, suffered as sharp thorns dug into her skin. She quickly came to a halt at the edge of a waterfall. There was nowhere else to go. The others caught up, there was no time to weigh their options. Lara stepped off the ledge, plummeting towards the abyss below. She hit the water hard, a rock cutting through her puffy grey vest and smashing against her spine. She bobbed up above the water, gasping for air as she swam to the shore. She tossed off her vest and laid in the rocks. She dumped water from her boots and shoved her feet back into them as Sasha and the others washed up on shore. Lara reached into her bag and rolled out a fresh pair of socks and removed the hiking shoes from the bag, along with a new pair of pants and an elbow length skin tight under armour type shirt.

"We'll find somewhere safe and dry out your clothes over a fire." Lara said as she changed into her fresh linens. "You don't want to get jungle rot, not out here." She tossed her old boots and torn up clothes into the river. "Let's keep moving."


End file.
